How I'm Still At Your Side
by Snow Princess Galian
Summary: Old habits are hard to break. Mrs. Kamiya turns to an old sorce to deal with her depression and Tai and Kari will have to pay the price. Read "Young Memories" first or you will be totally confused.
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon. The only character I own is Mrs. Kamiya's bitch sister Fuyu.  
  
  
How I'm still at your side: part one  
  
Mrs. Kamiya sat alone at the dining table with her face buried in one hand. She had been so frustrated lately. She had just learned from an old high school friend about her break neck success as a vet. She really was happy for her friend, but she was also depressed. She had an academic scholarship, but her venture into unplanned motherhood had ruined everything for her. If she had just stopped to think about what she was doing, then she would've had a chance to live life the way she wanted, not working as a receptionist for a dentist. 'One mistake is all it takes to ruin your life.' She thought.  
  
She glanced over at the product of her mistake, Tai. He had fallen asleep while watching TV. 'If I hadn't of made that mistake, Tai never would've been born. I'm sure he would've rather not existed than have the crappy childhood that I provided him with. I would've been able to live my life the way I wanted. As a dentist, rather than working for one. I love Tai, though. As well as Akio and Kari. If I hadn't of made that mistake, I never would've met any of them.'   
  
The phone rang and she went to pick it up before the noise disturbed her sleeping son. "Hello? Kamiya residence. Hyun speaking." She said into the receiver. "It's been a long time, Hyun." A female voice replied.  
"Fuyu?"  
"That's correct. I haven't seen you since mom and dad kicked you out. How have things been going for you? I hear you've got a nice family now."  
"That's right."  
"You must introduce me to them. Anyway, the reason I called is because I was in town and I thought that maybe we could get together for lunch. We really need to catch up."  
"That'd be great! When?"  
"How about right now?"  
"Well, I guess that'd be all right. It's not like I have any plans."  
"Great! I'll meet you at that little café on third street in say, a half hour?"  
"Works for me!"  
"I'll see you soon then, sister."  
"Goodbye."  
  
Hyun hung up the phone and left a note for Tai on the fridge incase he woke up while she was gone. She then got her coat and left. It was a little chilly out. When she got to the café, her sister was already there. She ran up to her. "It's been so long, I've forgotten what you looked like. You know, I would've visited you when mom and dad were baby sitting your son and during the delivery, but I was at collage." Fuyu said. Those words hit Hyun hard and if she didn't know better, she would've assumed that Fuyu was trying to hurt her. She decided to just let it pass. She hadn't seen her sister in years and she didn't want to start off on the wrong foot.  
  
The entered the café and sat down at an empty table. Fuyu had gotten them both herbal tea and they started talking. "So tell me about your family." Fuyu said sipping her tea. Hyun nodded. "Well, first there's Tai,"  
"Ah, your bastard son. Please continue."  
"What?!"  
"Well you and Houjin never got married, did you?"  
"No, but,"  
"So it's a correct term, isn't it?"  
"Yes, but,"  
"I'm glad we see eye to eye here. Do continue."  
"I'll thank you not to refer to Tai as my 'bastard son'!"  
"Okay, I'm sorry."  
"Anyway, Tai's a good kid. He's athletic and adventurous, though he does tend to get into trouble now and then. Kari is,"  
"Kari? Is she a bastard too?"  
"No! Will you please stop doing that!"  
"What?"  
"Calling my children bastards!"  
"Well, they are! Well one is atleast."  
"I don't care whether it's a correct term or not! You have no right to call my son a bastard!"  
"But he is! That's what you get for being a slut! Because of your sluttiness, I have to suffer. You've brought disgrace to our family name!"  
"So that's it! You just brought me here to insult me in public!"  
"You're pretty smart for a slut!"  
  
Hyun was now enraged and punched her sister right in the face. She grabbed her coat and stormed out of the building. 'How could I have been so stupid?! Fuyu and I never got along. We HATED each other. Sure, one would expect her to grow out of it, but this is Fuyu! She'll never grow up!' Hyun thought angrily as she walked quickly through the streets back to her apartment complex. She really wish she had done more to Fuyu in the café, but it just didn't look good for a grown woman to beat up her sister in public. She could've too. Fuyu couldn't fight at all.  
  
Hyun opened the apartment door and slammed it shut. She noticed that Tai was gone and that he had left a message for her saying he went some where with Matt. Hyun walked over to the dining table and sat down, crying tears of anger and frustration. She was alone in the house. Her husband had left on a two week business trip and Kari was at a friend's house. She was so depressed a felt absolutely alone. As she sat there in despair, one word came to her mind. 'Beer'  



	2. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  
  
  
  
How I'm still at your side part two  
  
Tai came home around nine that night. He had been running the entire way back to his apartment building. He didn't want to upset his mom. He opened the door and removed his shoes. The very second he closed the door, his gut told him something was wrong. It was way too quite. Kari's favorite show would be coming on soon, but the TV was off and she wasn't anywhere in sight. The lights in the apartment were very dim. The house wasn't dark, just a lot dimmer than usual. "You're late, Tai." He heard his mother say in a dark tone.  
  
Tai turned to see his mother sitting alone at the table. Her hair was down in her face. She hadn't made eye contact with him yet, she just stared down at the table. "Don't you ever come in late again without calling. Got it? I've got enough problems in life without having to worry about where your sorry ass is." She said in the same dark tone while lifting her head to face her son.  
  
Tai's eyes went wide when he saw her. Her cheeks were noticeably redder and she had that look in her eyes. He remembered that look well. It was the same look she always gave him just before she beat him when he was younger. "You've been drinking." Tai said, his voice shaking. "So what if I have? I'm an adult, I have rights!" she said. His heart nearly jumped in his throat when he realized that he still hadn't seen Kari. "Where's Kari?" he asked his mother cautiously.  
"How the hell should I know?! What do I look like, my daughter's keeper!?" she snapped at him, slowly getting up.  
Tai slowly side stepped his way into the living room. "Kari, where are you?" he called out as quietly as he could. He didn't want to anger his mother anymore than she already was. The door to Tai and Kari's bedroom opened and she walked out. Tai immediately noticed the red mark on his sister's cheek. "Kari! Did mom hit you?" he asked, kneeling to face her. Kari wiped away her tears and sniffled. She didn't say anything, she just nodded her head. "What's wrong with mom, Tai?" she asked quietly.  
  
Tai turned to see their mother standing in the hallway with a can in her hand. 'That's what's wrong.' Tai thought. Beer. Hyun had been trying so hard to stop drinking after she met Akio. She'd sworn off of alcohol and attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings every Friday. Still, now and then, she'd go to an adult party and alcohol would turn up. She could always handle watching Akio drink after work or something, but it was a lot harder for her at a party where everyone is drinking. She'd do her best to avoid it, but somehow the beverage would reel her in like a fish. She could never stop at one can either. She'd always tell herself 'One can. That's all.' But she could never stop at one can. Once she got her hands on a beer, she couldn't stop until she was unconscious. It was horrible.   
  
Tai stood up to protect Kari from his mother's wrath. He knew something was wrong. She wouldn't just get drunk for no reason. There had to be a reason. "Mom, what's wrong?" he asked.  
"Nothing's wrong, Tai. What would make you think something was wrong?" she asked slowly approaching them, causing them to back up.  
"I don't know what happened to you, but you need to get it out. This isn't healthy."  
"You don't even know what you're talking about! You're the ones who left me here, alone! All alone with my pain! And if it wasn't for you, Tai, I wouldn't be here. I'd be happy. But no, I got stuck having to take care of you two little shits and working as a receptionist for some guy who thinks he's Orin fucking Scrivello DDS (if you got the Orin Scrivello thing, good for you!) at a whopping twenty bucks a pop! This is all YOUR FAULT!!"  
"No! It wasn't me. It was Houjin! Houjin did this to us! Please mom, don't!"  
"Don't what? Give you the beating you two leeches so richly deserve?"  
"Mom, please. You have to stop this!"  
"You have to learn how to hold your tongue!"   
  
Hyun crushed the can she was holding and threw it aside. She then stomped over to her frightened children and punched Tai square in the jaw. She punched him again and again until too punch drunk to stand straight. She took him and threw him against the wall. Kari shrieked in horror as she watched her mom savagely beat her brother. She then looked up and realized that Tai couldn't protect her. Hyun grabbed her daughter's arm with a grip that could crush steel. She then punched her daughter in the eye and then in the cheek. Kari cried out in emotional and physical pain. She had no idea why her mom was doing this. Kari got smacked under the jaw as a result of her cry. "Shut the fuck up!" she screamed into her daughter's face.  
  
Tai had gotten back on his feet. The cries of his little sister ripped his heart to shreds. When he saw his mom attack her, he felt a rush of anger explode inside of him. The two females he cared about most in this world, one being beaten and the other the beater. He couldn't take it. He tackled his mom from behind and pinned her to the couch. "What's wrong?! Why are your doing this?!" he screamed. He tried to hold his mom down, but his mother's superior strength over whelmed him. She rammed him into a wall and then took him by the arm. She punched him again and then threw him to the ground. Kari ran to her brother's side and Tai quickly got to his feet to protect her.  
  
It was then that Tai noticed he and Kari were on the had gotten past their mom. The front door was right behind them; they could make a run for it. Tai wanted to run, but he knew what would happen if he did. Someone would notice them with bruises running down the hall. They'd alert the police who'd arrest Mrs. Kamiya and they'd have to stay in custody until their dad got back. That was the last thing he wanted. He looked at the drunken woman before him. He wasn't looking at his mom, he was looking at a demon. He could still see his mom, his real mom, underneath. His real mom would never beat him and/or Kari. "Mom, please, talk to me!" Tai pleaded, still trying to get in touch with the real woman underneath. "Shut UP!" she shouted as she picked up a nearby vase and threw it at him.   
  
Tai blocked the vase with his arm. Hyun stammered forward then put her hand on the couch for support. Tai knew what was coming. He took Kari and held her close to him with her face buried in his chest. This was the worst part and he didn't want Kari to see it. Hyun stared at the ground for a few seconds, then she abruptly threw up. Her vomit was almost projectile. She threw up a few more times before slowly slipping to the floor. She laid there, motionless, in a puddle of her own vomit. She had passed out.  
  
Tai looked at the motionless figure of his mother. She slowly released Kari and walked over to her. He placed his hand on her head and felt a tear slide down his cheek. "This isn't what mom wants, Kari." He explained to his sister. Kari had never seen her mom drunk before. This whole experience was a shock to her. "Listen Kari, next time mom gets drunk, and there will be a next time, get out of the house or lock yourself in the bathroom. We're going to have to bear through this until dad gets back or mom realizes what she's doing and gets help."  
"Can't we just get rid of all the beer in the apartment?" Kari suggested.  
"That won't stop her. I've gone through this before. Trust me, Kari. No matter what happens, it will end and we'll have our mom back. Until then, don't tell anyone about what happened. She'll be arrested and that won't help at all. She has to do this on her own and we have to be there to support her. That's the only way it'll end. Do you understand?"  
"Yes."  
  
Tai picked up his mom and carried her into her room. He placed her on the bed on her side incase she threw up again. Kari watched as her brother left their mom with some asprin and a glass of water on the side table. She'd be needing it in the morning.  



	3. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  
Author's Note: I was really depressed when I wrote the whole thing, just to let you know. It is kind of a good break from all those stories about poor Mr. Ishida being an alcoholic, don't you think? Just remember, the REAL bitch of this story is Fuyu, not Hyun.   
  
  
  
How I'm Still At Your Side part three  
  
Hyun slowly opened her eyes and moaned slightly. Her head was killing her. She knew right away that she had a hangover, but she couldn't quite remember what she did last night. She sat up and noticed a glass of water and aspirin on her side table. She had no idea who left it for her, but she didn't care.   
  
After taking the medicine, she walked out of the room to make breakfast. When she stepped out of her bedroom, she noticed the living room was a bit of a mess. The couch was moved slightly and a vase lay in pieces on the floor. Not to mention the carpet stains of the puddles of vomit someone tried to clean up. Her heart burned when she saw that familiar scene. She had woken up to that scene many times before and she knew exactly what she did last night.  
  
Hyun was about to check on her kids when she suddenly felt nauseous. She ran to the bathroom and stood over the toilet. She was about to throw up, but nothing came out. When the queasy feeling had left her, she quietly walked to her children's room and slowly opened the door.  
  
Tai and Kari were sleeping as if nothing had happened last night, but Hyun could tell that they had cried themselves to sleep. Tai had a few bruises on his face and a bandage on his arm where the vase had hit him. Kari had a large bruises on her cheek and a painful looking shiner. Hyun couldn't take looking at the scene. She hated to see her children like that. She wanted to wake them and tell them how sorry she was, but she knew it'd be best to let them sleep. Besides, she knew how empty her apology would sound to them.  
  
She sat down at the couch and cried into her hands. She had permanently scared her children's lives. No child deserved to be beaten the way she had beaten hers. No child deserved to be beaten period. 'What have a done?' that question ran through her mind like a broken record. The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became. And the more depressed she became, 'No! I am NOT going to drink! Drinking got me into this mess and it's not going to make things any better!' she sternly told herself, but part of her wanted to drink so badly. She felt like she had just been torn in half, like she had a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. Each one trying to coax her to either drink or fight the urge to do so.  
  
Her head was a mess and her thoughts were clouded. She couldn't think straight. 'I have to drink. Beer will calm me down.' The devil part of her said. 'No! Drinking will only cause more pain. I'm feeling the way I am because of beer!' the angel said. She grabbed her head as if she could shake the voices out of it. She tried desperately to ignore the urges in her head, but that proved to be impossible. The next thing she knew, she was walking towards the fridge to get a beer. 'No! Stop! Don't do this!' her mind cried out, but her body seemed to be moving on it's own. She tried desperately to stop, she even tried to grab onto something to stop her, but she could barely move her arms. It was as though someone was controlling her like a remote control car.  
  
She opened the fridge door and knelt down to get into the bottom level. She reached back and pulled out a can of beer. Her left hand held the can tightly and her right hand was about to pull the tab. Her hand stopped just before it made contact with the can. There she stood, beer in one hand, the other about to pull the tab. She was frozen. She couldn't bring herself to open the beer, but she couldn't put it away either. Her hands were visibly shaking as her true self and the demon she had become last night battled inside her. Suddenly, and hand fell upon her's and gently pulled the beer out of her grasp.  
  
She looked up to see Tai standing next to her, his eyes full of sadness and sympathy. Hyun couldn't see the anger in his eyes, but she knew it was there, buried inside of him and ready to surface at a moments notice. "I saw everything, mom. I could see you struggling." Tai said quietly. His hand gripped the can tighter by the second and Hyun could see he was about to explode. She was actually glad; it wasn't healthy for him to keep his feelings inside. "Why do you always have to do this? Does alcohol really mean that much to you? More to you than me and Kari?" Tai said a bit louder. His breath was becoming more like gasps as he continued. He closed his eyes tightly and bit his lip. "Why'd you have to do this?! You promised me you'd never get drunk like that again! You said you'd never hurt me again! You lied to me! YOU LIED! ALL YOU EVER SEEM TO DO IS LIE!!" Tai screamed. His eyes began to leak hot tears of anger.  
  
Tai crushed the can as best he could and threw it across the room. He slid down to the floor and started crying. Hyun, who was once again free to move, slammed the fridge door shut and rested her head on it, staring at the floor. She wanted to hug her son, to comfort him, but she knew it was best just to leave him alone for now. After about a minute of silence, she spoke. "You hate me, don't you Tai? I don't blame you. I'm a horrible mother. All I ever seem to do is hurt you." Tai stopped sobbing for a second and thought about what she said. Part of it was true, yet.. "Mom, I don't HATE hate you. I sort of hate you. I hate you for always turning to alcohol when your depressed and I hate you for taking your anger out on me. I hate you for not admitting that your alcohol problem is a lot bigger than it may seem and that those weekly meetings aren't enough. I hate the way that when you go to a party, you always come home really drunk or passed out in dad's arms. I hate how you always say your trying to stop, but you know that the help you currently getting is not enough, yet you don't do anything else. If you really care about me and Kari, then you will get better help. Oh, and one more thing,"  
"Yes?"  
"I will never be able to forgive you for what you did last night, or any of the other times you've beaten me, but, well I, I don't really know what I want to say. What I'm trying to say is I could've easily called the police or taken Kari and ran while I had the chance, but I didn't. Do you know why?"  
"Why?"  
"Because I care about you. I know that if I had the same problem, you wouldn't give up on me and, dammit, I'm not gonna give up on you. You aren't a bad person, you just do the wrong things. You've done so much for me in my life. You've always taken care of me when I was sick. You've always fed me when I was hungry. You'd always listen when no one else would, just to name a few. You have a problem that you can't overcome on your own, that's why I'm here. I'm here to help you. Together along with dad and Kari, we can beat this. Just like Kari and I defeated the Dark Masters in the Digiworld. We couldn't do it alone, but together, well, you get it. I don't want to hate you, mom. I don't want our family to break apart. That is how I'm still at your side."  
  
Hyun looked at her son. Tear were running down his face in streams. "I know I can't ask you to forgive me, Tai. That would be asking to much. But please allow me to be your mother again. I want to hold you and comfort you. You're my little boy, Tai. Nothing will change that. You have such a great heart to even listen to me."  
"Don't say that, mom. Like I said before, you're not a bad person. I want you to be my mom. I want you to be sober."  
  
Hyun was brought to tears by her son's words. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, allowing him to cry into her chest. As she looked at the boy she held in her arms, only three words came to her mind. "Thank you, Tai." The mother and son continued to comfort each other until it got a bit lighter out. They sat down at the couch and Tai leaned up against his mom. "Mom, what happened to you? What drove you to drink yesterday?" he asked. She told him the whole story about how she got a message from a high school friend about her success and then the phone call from her evil older sister, Fuyu. "Why would anyone go out of their way to insult someone like that?" Tai asked.  
"Fuyu is just a mean-spirited person, Tai. We never got along. Our relationship is pretty much opposite of what you and Kari have. Speaking of which, would you please check on her? I'd do it myself, but I think I'm the last person she'd want to see right now."  
  
Tai went off to check on his sister while Hyun flipped through the yellow pages. (I don't know if they have the yellow pages in Japan, but let's just pretend that they do, 'kay?) She began looking at Alcohol Rehabilitation Clinics. She decided that it'd be best for her to start today. "Mom, Kari's shiner is pretty swollen." Tai's voice came from behind her. She got up and went to the freezer to get an ice pack. As she was about to open the freezer, she stopped. She opened the fridge and pulled out all the beer, which she quickly threw away. She then went through the kitchen and got rid of every ounce of alcohol they had. When she was finished, she spotted the can of beer Tai had thrown earlier. She picked it up and walked over to the trash can. She looked at it and gripped it tightly with anger. "Never again." She said as she tossed it away.  
  
The End  
  
What do you think? Did you like it? Did I make everything seem realistic? By the way, that Orin Scrivello thing in part two was from Little Shop Of Horrors. Should I put super bitch Fuyu in more fanfics?   



End file.
